‘Bangle Gudde operation is based on incidental findings, not Vittal Gowda’s statement’

Bengaluru 

The ongoing operation of collecting human skeletal remains in Bangle Gudde is based on incidental findings by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the mass burial case, and not on Vittal Gowda’s statement.

Reports in mainstream media that the search was based on Vittal Gowda’s statements are false, clarified a source in the SIT. Vittal Gowda is maternal uncle of Soujanya who was killed in 2012. Her death led to the justice for Soujanya movement across the state.

The source said that during mahajars on two different days, SIT officers discovered skeletal remains—particularly skulls—on the earth’s surface at Bangle Gudde. This prompted the team to launch a large-scale operation to collect the skeletons. “As of now, we can confirm that several skulls have been recovered. The exact number will be known only after the operation is complete. Multiple teams have picked up bones and skulls from different places, and the numbers reported in the media are not accurate,” the source stated.

The source further added that the SIT is combing the entire Bangle Gudde forest area, not just the two sites identified during the mahajars. These locations were discovered by the SIT, not shown by Vittal Gowda. The SIT also recovered clothes, bags, and other materials during the search. At this stage, the SIT believes that occult practices may have been taking place in the dense reserve forest of Dharmasthala village panchayat.

On Wednesday (September 17), the SIT’s operation continued late into the night and will resume on Thursday. Given the vastness of the area, it will take time to collect all the bones and skulls. The source reiterated, “so far, several skulls have been recovered. These will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Madiwala, Bengaluru. Meanwhile, the SIT has begun gathering information on black magic activities in the vicinity and elsewhere in Karnataka.”

It should be noted that the Belthangady court has rejected the bail plea of Chinnayya, who was arrested on August 23. The SIT has questioned several individuals, including Vittal Gowda, Girish Mattannavar, Manaf, and Abhishek. The statement of witness Pradeep Gowda has also been recorded under Section 183 of the BNSS.

It may be recalled that the SIT was constituted on July 19 after Chinnayya filed a complaint at Dharmasthala police station, claiming he had been forced to bury bodies illegally. He later repeated this before a magistrate. Following this, the SIT carried out exhumations for two weeks, recovering skeletal remains of two individuals. However, Chinnayya later retracted his statement and was booked for perjury and forgery.